DOCSLIB.ORG

4.3 Biological Resources

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
4.3 Biological Resources SECTION 4.3 Biological Resources 4.3 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES This section of the PEIR analyzes the potential environmental effects on biological resources from implementation of the proposed Specific Plan. No comment letters addressing biological resources were received in response to the Notice of Preparation (NOP) circulated for the proposed project. Data for this section were taken from a search of biological resources databases; a review of pertinent literature, photographs, and aerial imagery; and site visits to selected portions of the Specific Plan area. No site-specific biological surveys, vegetation mapping, special-status species protocol-level surveys, or wetland delineation surveys were conducted. Full reference-list entries for all cited materials are provided in Section 4.3.5 (References). The following provides a summarized list of the primary resources consulted for the preparation of this section: ■ Databases Calflora Plant Observation Library (Calflora 2011a) California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) Natural Diversity Database (CDFG 2011a) California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (CNPS 2011) Consortium of California Herbaria (Consortium 2011) U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Web Soil Survey (USDA 2011) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Critical Habitat Portal (USFWS 2011a) USFWS National Wetlands Inventory Wetlands Mapper (USFWS 2011c) ■ Literature Review CDFG State- and Federally Listed Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Plants of California (CDFG 2011b) CDFG Special Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List (CDFG 2011c) CDFG Special-Status Animals List (CDFG 2011d) 4.3.1 Environmental Setting Regional Context The Specific Plan area is located within the northeastern portion of the City of Laguna Niguel in southern Orange County. The general area also encompasses the cities of Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Mission Viejo, and San Juan Capistrano, as well as unincorporated areas of Orange County. Located approximately 5 miles inland and northeast of the Pacific Ocean, the bioregion that defines the area is influenced by a coastal Mediterranean climate. The area‘s climate, coupled with coastal geological formations and land features, give rise to an array of habitat types and vegetation communities that are typical to coastal southern California. Grasslands, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, riparian woodlands and forests, and riverine and palustrine habitats contribute to the overall biological value and aesthetic appeal of the general area. Although past agricultural practices and urbanization have resulted in the conversion of land and development within much of the general area, there remains few larger blocks and linkages of undeveloped land that provide important habitat for plant and wildlife species that reside and migrate to and from the area. Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan PEIR 4.3-1 CHAPTER 4 Environmental Analysis Topography and Soils Topographic features not only provide for scenic viewsheds in a community, but also support the collection and delivery of important water resources, dictate the distribution of valuable habitat types, and aid in the facilitation of wildlife movement to and from important habitat areas. In general, the Specific Plan area is situated within a relatively narrow north-south trending corridor for the Oso Creek watershed. No major ridgeline features or mountain peaks characterize the Specific Plan area. The highest elevations occur within the western portions of the Specific Plan area at approximately 520 feet above mean sea level (amsl). The lowest elevations occur within the southern portions of the Specific Plan area at approximately 220 feet amsl. Two major water features occur within the Specific Plan area: Oso Creek and the Galivan Basin. Within the Specific Plan area, Oso Creek and the Galivan Basin are owned and maintained by the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD). The Galivan Basin is a man-made flood control feature located in the northern portions of the Specific Plan area that serves as an overflow and retarding basin for Oso Creek. A small, unnamed drainage feature runs through the Galivan Basin before discharging into Oso Creek. The Galivan Basin is actively maintained by OCFCD and therefore routinely disturbed and cleared of vegetation. An approximately 2.0-mile (11,000-linear-foot) reach of Oso Creek traverses the Specific Plan area, the entirety of which has been channelized and diverted from its natural course. Within the Specific Plan area, nearly all of Oso Creek is contained within a concrete channel, and depending upon flows and seasonal conditions, little or no vegetation occurs. Oso Creek is a blue-line stream and tributary water to Trabuco Creek, which occurs further to the south of the Specific Plan area, as depicted on the San Juan Capistrano, California USGS 7.5″ topographic quadrangle map. Trabuco Creek is a tributary water to San Juan Creek, which discharges into the Pacific Ocean approximately 6.0 river miles downstream of the Specific Plan area. The geology and soils associated with topographic features give way to varying habitat types and often provide unique safe havens for plants and animals with specific microhabitat requirements such as clay, shale, granite, and limestone pockets, rock outcrops, and cliff faces. In highly urbanized settings, such as the Specific Plan area, the native soils are often heavily disturbed and altered from their natural state. In most cases, urbanization has resulted in the cutting and filling of native soils for the placement of permanent developments. The underlying soils of the Specific Plan area consist of Capistrano Formation bedrock from late Miocene to early Pliocene age. Quaternary alluvium of Oso Creek and its tributaries overlie the bedrock. The Specific Plan area is mapped as being supported by eighteen separate soil map units. The dominant soil unit is Alo clay, which underlies roughly 50 percent of the Specific Plan area. Other soil units identified include various types of clay, loam, clay loam, sandy loam, loamy sand, cobbly sandy loam, and riverwash. Vegetation The vegetation mapping for this programmatic assessment takes a broad-based approach toward defining habitat types and vegetation communities that occur within the Specific Plan area. Vegetation communities have been defined based on overall dominance of trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants that occur over relatively large areas, as determined by review of aerial imagery, relevant literature, photographs, and field visits to the Specific Plan area. As environmental conditions change and more 4.3-2 Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan PEIR SECTION 4.3 Biological Resources specific studies are conducted, deviations from the large-scale assessment may occur as specific data is collected, and more fine-scale mapping may reveal a greater diversity of habitat types. A total of five general vegetation communities or habitat types characterize the Specific Plan area. These include urban/developed, grassland, coastal sage scrub, riparian, and unvegetated channel. For general location of these communities within the Specific Plan area, refer to Figure 4.3-1 (Vegetation Communities). The names and definitions of vegetation communities are discussed below and are suggested based on general definitions provided by Holland (1986) and Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (2009) natural communities classification systems. Urban/Developed Urban/developed includes land that has been permanently altered due to the construction of aboveground developments such as buildings and roads. Urban/developed areas may include stands of nonnative vegetation planted for landscaping improvements, including ornamental tree- and shrub- vegetated slopes and rights-of-way and groundcover-vegetated parks. Nonnative species typical of urban/developed areas may include ornamental tree plantings such as pine (Pinus spp.), gum (Eucalyptus spp.), pepper (Schinus spp.), and palms (Arecaceae family), ornamental shrubs such as wattle (Acacia pycnantha, Acacia spp.), oleander (Nerium oleander), pittosporum (Pittosporum spp.), and tea tree (Leptospermum spp.), and nonnative groundcover species such as freeway ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis), crystalline ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum), and various turf grasses (Fescuta spp., Cynodon spp., Digitaria spp., Eremochloa spp., Zoysia spp.). Urban/developed land is the predominant land use or vegetation community within the Specific Plan area, generally occurring in the form of industrial and commercial developments, surface streets, arterials, and other infrastructure. Areas characterized by urban/developed land provide very limited biological function and value. Grassland For the purposes of this assessment, grassland can be divided into two general categories: native grassland or nonnative grassland. The predominant native grassland type that is known to occur in the region is valley needlegrass grassland. Valley needlegrass grassland has been defined as supporting a vegetative cover that includes at least 10 percent coverage by native purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra), with the remaining 90 percent comprised of other native and nonnative grasses and forbs (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 2009). Nonnative grassland, or annual grassland, is more prevalent and widespread in the region, and is described as a dense to sparse cover of nonnative annual grasses, often associated with numerous ruderal species and native annual forbs, especially in years with
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Life History of the Marbled Whiptail Lizard Aspidoscelis Marmorata from the Central Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico
    Acta Herpetologica 8(2): 81-91, 2013 Life history of the Marbled Whiptail Lizard Aspidoscelis marmorata from the central Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico Héctor Gadsden1, Gamaliel Castañeda2 1 Instituto de Ecología, A. C.-Centro Regional Chihuahua, Cubículo 29C, Miguel de Cervantes No. 120, Complejo Industrial Chihuahua, C. P. 31109, Chihuahua, Chihuahua, México. Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] 2 Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas. Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango. Avenida Universidad s/n. Fraccionamiento Filadelfia. Gómez Palacio, 35070, Durango, México Submitted on 2012, 5th December; revised on 2013, 10th August; accepted on 2013, 3rd September. Abstract. The life history of a population of marbled whiptail lizard, Aspidoscelis marmorata, was examined from 1989 to 1994 in the sand dunes of the Biosphere Reserve of Mapimí, in Northern México. Lizards were studied using mark- recapture techniques. Reproduction in females occurred between May and August, with birth hatchlings matching the wet season in August. Reproductive activity was highest in the early wet season (July). Males and females reached adult size class at an average age of 1.7 years and 1.8 years, respectively. Body size of males attained an asymptote around 90 mm snout-vent length and females around 82 mm snout-vent length, at an age of approximately 3.6 years and 3.0 years, respectively. The density varied from 7 to 85 individuals / 1.0 ha. The Mexican population had late maturity, relatively long life expectancy, and fewer offspring. Overall, the observed data for A. marmorata and the expectations of life history theory for a late maturing species (K-rate selection) are in agreement.
    [Show full text]
  • Taxonomic Hypotheses and the Biogeography of Speciation in the Tiger Whiptail Complex (Aspidoscelis Tigris: Squamata, Teiidae)
    a Frontiers of Biogeography 2021, 13.2, e49120 Frontiers of Biogeography RESEARCH ARTICLE the scientific journal of the International Biogeography Society Taxonomic hypotheses and the biogeography of speciation in the Tiger Whiptail complex (Aspidoscelis tigris: Squamata, Teiidae) Tyler K. Chafin1* , Marlis R. Douglas1 , Whitney J.B. Anthonysamy1,2, Brian K. Sullivan3, James M. Walker1, James E. Cordes4, and Michael E. Douglas1 1 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA; 2 St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 4588 Parkview Place, St. Louis, Missouri, 63110, USA; 3 School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, P. O. Box 37100, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, 85069, USA; 4 Division of Mathematics and Sciences, Louisiana State University, Eunice, Louisiana, 70535, USA. *Corresponding author: Tyler K. Chafin, [email protected] Abstract Highlights Biodiversity in southwestern North America has a complex 1. Phylogeographies of vertebrates within the biogeographic history involving tectonism interspersed southwestern deserts of North America have been with climatic fluctuations. This yields a contemporary shaped by climatic fluctuations imbedded within pattern replete with historic idiosyncrasies often difficult broad geomorphic processes. to interpret when viewed from through the lens of modern ecology. The Aspidoscelis tigris (Tiger Whiptail) 2. The resulting synergism drives evolutionary processes, complex (Squamata: Teiidae) is one such group in which such as an expansion of within-species genetic taxonomic boundaries have been confounded by a series divergence over time. Taxonomic inflation often of complex biogeographic processes that have defined results (i.e., an increase in recognized taxa due to the evolution of the clade. To clarify this situation, arbitrary delineations), such as when morphological we first generated multiple taxonomic hypotheses, divergences fail to juxtapose with biogeographic which were subsequently tested using mitochondrial hypotheses.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Consequences
    5-Mile Zone Protective and Regulatory Pumping Unit RMP/EA Water Rights The use of water in the 5-mile zone is regulated by (1) a 1989 Reclamation memorandum that is based in part on Public Law 93-320, as amended by Public Law 96-336; (2) IBWC 242 Minute; (3) existing water contracts; and (4) all applicable Federal and State regulations. Public Law 96-336 states that no contract shall be entered into that will impair the ability of the United States to continue to deliver to Mexico, on the Colorado River downstream from Morelos Dam, approximately 140,000 acre-feet of water annually, consistent with the terms contained in IBWC 242 Minute. Therefore, any request for water use from the study area would be subject to these limitations. Environmental Consequences Increased pumping from the aquifer, which could occur under alternatives that allow for development or land transfers or exchanges that would use or require more water, would affect groundwater availability in the study area. Some water use could occur in the 5-mile zone, west of the study area and outside of Reclamation’s jurisdiction, such as near the city of San Luis. Some elements of the alternatives could also affect groundwater quality. Following are the anticipated effects of each alternative. Alternative A Under Alternative A, if groundwater were used to meet the water needs of new developments, the aquifer could be lowered. However, the quantities needed should not adversely affect Reclamation=s ability to meet its water delivery obligations to Mexico unless total pumpage for the 5-mile zone approaches 160,000 acre-feet per year, the limit stipulated by IBWC 242 Minute.
    [Show full text]
  • Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Death Valley National Park
    Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Death Valley National Park Final Report Permit # DEVA-2003-SCI-0010 (amphibians) and DEVA-2002-SCI-0010 (reptiles) Accession # DEVA- 2493 (amphibians) and DEVA-2453 (reptiles) Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak Common Chuckwalla in Greenwater Canyon, Death Valley National Park (TBP photo). USGS Southwest Biological Science Center Colorado Plateau Research Station Box 5614, Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona 86011 May 2006 Death Valley Amphibians and Reptiles_____________________________________________________ ABSTRACT As part of the National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring Program in the Mojave Network, we conducted an inventory of amphibians and reptiles at Death Valley National Park in 2002- 2004. Objectives for this inventory were to: 1) Inventory and document the occurrence of reptile and amphibian species occurring at DEVA, primarily within priority sampling areas, with the goal of documenting at least 90% of the species present; 2) document (through collection or museum specimen and literature review) one voucher specimen for each species identified; 3) provide a GIS-referenced list of sensitive species that are federally or state listed, rare, or worthy of special consideration that occur within priority sampling locations; 4) describe park-wide distribution of federally- or state-listed, rare, or special concern species; 5) enter all species data into the National Park Service NPSpecies database; and 6) provide all deliverables as outlined in the Mojave Network Biological Inventory Study Plan. Methods included daytime and nighttime visual encounter surveys, road driving, and pitfall trapping. Survey effort was concentrated in predetermined priority sampling areas, as well as in areas with a high potential for detecting undocumented species.
    [Show full text]
  • Standard Common and Current Scientific Names for North American Amphibians, Turtles, Reptiles & Crocodilians
    STANDARD COMMON AND CURRENT SCIENTIFIC NAMES FOR NORTH AMERICAN AMPHIBIANS, TURTLES, REPTILES & CROCODILIANS Sixth Edition Joseph T. Collins TraVis W. TAGGart The Center for North American Herpetology THE CEN T ER FOR NOR T H AMERI ca N HERPE T OLOGY www.cnah.org Joseph T. Collins, Director The Center for North American Herpetology 1502 Medinah Circle Lawrence, Kansas 66047 (785) 393-4757 Single copies of this publication are available gratis from The Center for North American Herpetology, 1502 Medinah Circle, Lawrence, Kansas 66047 USA; within the United States and Canada, please send a self-addressed 7x10-inch manila envelope with sufficient U.S. first class postage affixed for four ounces. Individuals outside the United States and Canada should contact CNAH via email before requesting a copy. A list of previous editions of this title is printed on the inside back cover. THE CEN T ER FOR NOR T H AMERI ca N HERPE T OLOGY BO A RD OF DIRE ct ORS Joseph T. Collins Suzanne L. Collins Kansas Biological Survey The Center for The University of Kansas North American Herpetology 2021 Constant Avenue 1502 Medinah Circle Lawrence, Kansas 66047 Lawrence, Kansas 66047 Kelly J. Irwin James L. Knight Arkansas Game & Fish South Carolina Commission State Museum 915 East Sevier Street P. O. Box 100107 Benton, Arkansas 72015 Columbia, South Carolina 29202 Walter E. Meshaka, Jr. Robert Powell Section of Zoology Department of Biology State Museum of Pennsylvania Avila University 300 North Street 11901 Wornall Road Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120 Kansas City, Missouri 64145 Travis W. Taggart Sternberg Museum of Natural History Fort Hays State University 3000 Sternberg Drive Hays, Kansas 67601 Front cover images of an Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) and Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouquettei) by Suzanne L.
    [Show full text]
  • Projections of Future Suitable Bioclimatic Conditions of Parthenogenetic Whiptails
    climate Article Projections of Future Suitable Bioclimatic Conditions of Parthenogenetic Whiptails Guillermo Alvarez 1, Eric Ariel L. Salas 2,*, Nicole M. Harings 2 and Kenneth G. Boykin 2 1 Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; [email protected] 2 Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA; [email protected] (N.M.H.); [email protected] (K.G.B.) * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-575-646-2691 Academic Editor: Yang Zhang Received: 23 December 2016; Accepted: 20 April 2017; Published: 22 April 2017 Abstract: This paper highlights the results of bioclimatic-envelope modeling of whiptail lizards belonging to the Aspidoscelis tesselata species group and related species. We utilized five species distribution models (SDM) including Generalized Linear Model, Random Forest, Boosted Regression Tree, Maxent and Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines to develop the present day distributions of the species based on climate-driven models alone. We then projected future distributions of whiptails using data from four climate models run according to two greenhouse gas concentration scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5). Results of A. tesselata species group suggested that climate change will negatively affect the bioclimatic habitat and distribution of some species, while projecting gains in suitability for others. Furthermore, when the species group was analyzed together, climate projections changed for some species compared to when they were analyzed alone, suggesting significant loss of syntopic areas where suitable climatic conditions for more than two species would persist. In other words, syntopy within members of the species group will be drastically reduced according to future bioclimatic suitability projections in this study.
    [Show full text]
  • 7N Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlif
    FISH & WILDLIFE REFERENCE LIBRARY Technical Report #84-4-05 1964 THE HERPETOLOGY OF THE UPPER JOHN DAY RIVER DRAINAGE, OREGON 7n- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Nongame Wildlife Program THE HERPETOLOGY OF THE UPPER JOHN DAY RIVER DRAINAGE, OREGON Alan D. St. John Oregon Department-of Fish and Wildlife Mongame Wildlife Program Technical Report #84-4-05 1984 CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................... I INTRODUCTION 1 ..... ................................................. STUDY AREA AND METHODS .......... ....... RESULTS ............................................................ 3 Species Accounts -- Amphibians 3 Long-toed Salamander ................................ 3 Western Toad ..................................... ............................................. 4 Pacific Treefrog 5 Basin Spadefoot......................................... 5 Great .................................... Bullfrog ................................................. 5 Spotted Frog 6 ............................................. Species Acconts 6 -- Reptiles ................................... Painted Turtle 6 Western Pond ........................................... 7 Turtle ...................................... Southern Alligator Lizard 7 Short-horned Lizard ................................ 8 ...................................... Desert Horned Lizard 9 Sagebrush ..................................... 9 Lizard ......................................... Western Fence Lizard 10 Side-blotched Lizard ....................................
    [Show full text]
  • Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles for Twelve National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network
    National Park Service Southern Colorado Plateau U.S. Department of the Interior Inventory and Monitoring Network Natural Resource Program Center Fort Collins, Colorado Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles for Twelve National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Colorado Plateau Research Station Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 April 2008 ON THE COVER Western Terrestrial Garter Snake from Walnut Canyon National Monument Photo by Trevor B. Persons PLEASE CITE THIS DOCUMENT AS: Nowak, E.M., and Trevor B. Persons. 2008. Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles for Twelve National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network. Final report to the National Park Service, Southern Colorado Plateau Network, Flagstaff, AZ. Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles for Twelve National Parks in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network Aztec Ruins National Monument Bandelier National Monument Chaco Culture National Historical Park El Malpais National Monument El Morro National Monument Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Petroglyph National Monument Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Sunset Crater National Monument Walnut Canyon National Monument Wupatki National Monument Yucca House National Monument Authors Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak USGS Southwest Biological Science Center, Colorado Plateau Research Station, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 Project Manager Anne Cully National Park Service, Southern Colorado Plateau Network,
    [Show full text]
  • Diurnal Reptile Survey Report 2008
    Western Riverside County Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP) Biological Monitoring Program Diurnal Reptile Survey Report 2008 April 20, 2009 Cover photos (taken by MSHCP biologists): Clockwise from top left, San Diego horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum blainvillei), northern red-diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber ruber), southern sagebrush lizard (Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus), Belding’s orange-throated whiptail (Cnemidophorus hyperythrus beldingi), coastal western whiptail (Cnemidophorus tigris multiscutatus), and granite spiny lizard (Sceloporus orcutti). TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................. ii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................1 BELDING’S ORANGE-THROATED WHIPTAIL (CNEMIDOPHORUS HYPERYTHRUS BELDINGI)..............1 COASTAL WESTERN WHIPTAIL (CNEMIDOPHORUS TIGRIS MULTISCUTATUS) ..................................2 GRANITE SPINY LIZARD (SCELOPORUS ORCUTTI) ..........................................................................3 NORTHERN RED-DIAMOND RATTLESNAKE (CROTALUS RUBER RUBER)..........................................3 SAN DIEGO HORNED LIZARD (PHRYNOSOMA CORONATUM BLAINVILLEI) ........................................3 SOUTHERN SAGEBRUSH LIZARD (SCELOPORUS GRACIOSUS VANDENBURGIANUS) ...........................4 METHODS .......................................................................................................................................4
    [Show full text]
  • USGS Open-File Report 2007-1117
    In cooperation with the National Park Service Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Mojave National Preserve Final Report Study # MOJA-00129; Permit # MOJA-2003-SCI-0071 and MOJA-2005-SCI-0013; Accession # MOJA-32 By Trevor B. Persons1 and Erika M. Nowak1 Sidewinder on Kelso Dunes, Mojave National Preserve (photograph by Trevor Persons). Open-File Report 2007-1109 2007 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey 1 Flagstaff, Ariz. U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Suggested citation: Persons, Trevor B., and Nowak, Erika M., 2007, Inventory of amphibians and reptiles at Mojave National Preserve: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2007-1109 [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1109/]. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Mojave National Preserve Final Report Study # MOJA-00129; Permit # MOJA-2003-SCI-0071 and MOJA-2005-SCI-0013; Accession # MOJA-32 By Trevor B.
    [Show full text]
  • UCSD Elliot Chaparral Reserve Herptiles List Compiled by Rebecca Wolf 11 May 2010 ORDER/Family Common Name Scientific Name Ref S
    UCSD Elliot Chaparral Reserve Herptiles List Compiled by Rebecca Wolf 11 May 2010 ORDER/Family Common Name Scientific Name Ref Status CAUDATA SALAMANDERS Plethodontidae Lungless Salamanders Arboreal salamander Aneides lugubris Black-bellied slender salamander Batrachoseps nigriventris Pacific slender salamander Batrachoseps pacificus 1 Ensatina salamander Ensatina eschscholtzi Salamandridae True Salamanders and Newts California Newt Taricha torosa ANURA FROGS AND TOADS Hylidae Treefrogs Pacific Treefrog Pseudacris regilla 1 California treefrog Pseudacris cadaverina Bufonidae Toads Western Toad Bufo boreas 1 Southwestern Toad Bufo microscaphus Red-spotted Toad Bufo punctatus Ranidae True Frogs Red-legged Frog Rana aurora Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana Pipidae Pipid frogs African Clawed frog Xenopus leavis Spea Spadefoots Western Spadefoot Spea hammondii 1 TESTUDINES Turtles Emydidae Pond turtles Western Pond Turtle Actinemys marmorata Trachemys Slider Turtles Sliders Trachemys sp. SQUAMATA LIZARDS AND SNAKES Gekkonidae Gekos Western Banded Gecko Coleonyx variegatus abbotti Xantusiidae Night Lizards UCSD Elliot Chaparral Reserve Herptiles List Compiled by Rebecca Wolf 11 May 2010 Granite night Lizard Xantusia henshawi Desert night Lizard Xantusia vigilis Anniellidae Legless Lizards California Legless Lizard Aniella pulchra Anguidae Alligator Lizards Southern Alligator Lizard Elgaria multicarinatus 1 Scincidae Skinks Gilbert Skink Eumeces gilberti Western Skink Eumeces skiltonianus 1 Teiidae Whiptails and Racerunners Orange-Throated Whiptail
    [Show full text]
  • Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Hovenweep National Monument, 2001-2003
    Inventory of Amphibians and Reptiles at Hovenweep National Monument, 2001-2003 Final Report Trevor B. Persons and Erika M. Nowak Horseshoe Ruins, Hovenweep National Monument, and Eastern Fence Lizard (inset). USGS Southwest Biological Science Center Colorado Plateau Research Station Box 5614, Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-5614 May 2004 INTRODUCTION In fiscal year 2000, the National Park Service (NPS) received a substantial budget increase for inventory and monitoring studies, and a nationwide program to inventory vertebrates and vascular plants within the national parks was begun in earnest. As part of this new inventory effort led by the NPS Inventory and Monitoring office, a total of 265 National Park units (parks, monuments, recreation areas, historic sites, etc.) were identified as having significant natural resources, and these were divided into 32 groups or “networks” based on geographical proximity and similar habitat types. The many NPS areas on the Colorado Plateau of Utah, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and western Colorado were divided into a northern and a southern network. Hovenweep National Monument (HOVE), located in extreme southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, was allocated to the Northern Colorado Plateau Network (NCPN). However, because of its close proximity to other NPS units in the Southern Colorado Plateau Network (SCPN), responsibility for conducting the amphibian and reptile (herpetofauna) inventory of HOVE was transferred to the SCPN. Similar to the NCPN, an inventory
    [Show full text]